Ornamental ear clip



Feb. 28, 1950 BARRON 2,498,748

ORNAMENTAL EAR CLIP Filed April 25, 1947 FIG. 2.

.FIOIB.

A TTORIYEY Patented Feb. 28, 1 950 r 2,498,748LLL onNAMENrAL Esra-emMargaret Barron, Bi'ookl yils1.1552 3. substantial-1r ea- 1947, "serialmigrates? 1 i. 'nii's invention*remtesan ornamentaiiean cnpsas. Offeobject s thefinventlorf is "t'o' 'rurnish -an" oriiament unique incharacter 1 in tha't it "covers th -inajor portionof the faceof theexternal earl 1:01am;- (01. extant;-

have heretofore been confined to earrings and ear clips*connectedtoandlimited to the area of the lobe of the -ear. Inmany persons, the earis often of unsightly configuration and in such 'Whibhfiifliereinvention: appertain's; that thensame Itwillibeaobviousttosthoserskilled mother-art; to'n' magevbefin'corporatedciin rseveral diiilerentvcon structins'iaTheirlaccompanyingndrawingmthere:

ges; igifrquently ggn gm g y;:t -.hai1: 1 Howtzforeisisisubmitted::merelyeasrxshowingsa preferred;

ever, I have perceived that addeds's'm'artness and superior decorativeeffects couldbe :obtained by the provision of an ornament whoseconfiguration supersedes, as it were, -th 'shape of tne eartf arf'"thus" provides at--least partial concealiiient fortlie ear and amplespace forernamemanonpr virtually-infinitevariety; Preferably thisdeooradeans somewhat longer than i tli extern'aiearli and extends at::least from the -helix to the lobe of the ear, desirably in the form ofa crescent or curve conforming at least-"approximately to" theoutei'fjedge'oft'he external-ear.

Ifi's therefore an ob-j e'ctof theiriventiorr'to provide an ear ornamentof improved character having the novel features above mentioned. Anotherobject of the invention is the provision of improved means for clippingthe ornament to the ear in a manner affording a substantial degree ofadjustability to ears of various shapes and contours, bearing in mindthat the major portion of the external ear is rather sensitive topressure, much more so than the lobe thereof.

Another object of the invention is to furnish such improved securingmeans whereby the device may be at least partially suspended over thehelix of the ear and then frictionally engaged with the ear at aplurality of points therealong.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention comprises the novelfeatures, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter describedin their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claim, andillustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated bythe same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation showing an iinthe membersttare'ofmo particulanimportance exempiiflcatioi't'zoitheiz'inventionm.

Reterringiimdetail to therdrawingasl 0: denotesc anornamental ear clipembodying'rithea inventior-i:4:-

The sarii'iincludes a tl'e'corative'member 5| lqwhich CiOUS meiEPrnth'e; likegior.it"maysincludezaeseriesJonietlierssuitabie;sectionsaadapted;

pendant. pearlsitor; other decorative; sit! as: The details; of-J'constructioneinvolvedn:.

andditzisumcesrithatathi :imeitibereconstituteumtiiry.ai'liwfirigidrstriicture withetheiadifferent setibfi'scutaroutirofifaeSinglertsheieir-iof metal ore soldered orweldedirtogethermwithz theipendants. mountings including links or thelike if desired. Suffice it to say that the member II is approximatelyequal to the length of the external ear. I4 herein shown in dotted linesand is preferably somewhat longer so that the upper part of the member Hextends above the helix I5 of the ear while the lower part extends belowthe lobe I6 of the ear. In general, the shape of the member II is ofcurvilinear or crescent form, generally approximating the free edge orat least the helix of the ear. Thus the decorative member II is adaptedto overlie and conceal the principal features and the shape and outlineof the ear so that in effect the shape of the ornament supersedes thatof the ear. While the decorative member ll may lie in a plane, this isnot essential the requisite being that it seat in a proper firm andflatwise manner against the front face of the ear, with such variationsin shape as may be desired for additional securement or frictionalcontact with the car.

In spaced relation to the decorative member I I is the second part ofthe clip comprising an elongated element extending along the majorportion of the length of the external ear and being in contact at aplurality of points with the rear face of the ear. The portion l8forming a part of one of the elements Iland I! interconnects them toprovide a seating portion engaging the helix ii of the ear. In this waythe weight of the device I is reliably carried. The wire elesurface ofthe ear.

ment I? desirably consists of a. highly flexible metal or the likehaving only a limited degree of resilience in the sense that theresilience is not as important as easy bendability to shape the elementI! to conform to the contour of the rear The element I1 is shown ashaving some undulations which approximately correspond to the rear faceof the ear. This element [1 may be curvedaccording to the are orcrescent of the decorative member II. In'other words, it is principallythe outer edge portion of the external ear which is clipped by thedevice l0. By providing a series of engagement points or areas, thedevice 10 is reliably held in position without undue pressure such aswould cause discomfort to the sensitive part of the external ear. Theelement 11 may be bent in the store or by the purchaser herself toachieve the desired comfort. A feature of the instant construction isthat the long wire element 11 is free at its lower end and extends atleast down to and along the region of the rear surface of the antihelixof the ear, as is clear from Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification according to which a wire element Ilais connected at l8a to the decorative member H at the outer edge of thelatter. This connection l8a may be approximately central between theupper and lower ends of the element 11a. The ends of the latter are freefor easy bending and complete flexibility, but the upper portion may beslightly bent at l9 to form a seat on the helix l in the same manner aswas done by the part l8.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modification in which an element such as I! iscomposed of a plurality of free ended sections IIb, the upper beingconnected at 2|] and the lower at 2| to the decorative member II. Theparts I'Ib afford virtually a complete loop adapted to receive anappropriate portion of the ear, and nevertheless these parts may be bentto suit as hereinbeiore described.

It will now be seen that I have provided a device which fulfills theobjects of the invention and is well adapted for practical use.

I claim: I

An ornamental ear clip for attaching against the front face of anexternal ear of a wearer comprising a decorative member extending fromthe helix to the lobe of the ear shaped approximately to conform withthe edge contour of the free portion of said ear for resting flatwise onsaid front face, a flexible free-ended wire element extending along theregion of the rear side of the antihelix of the ear when in efiectiveposition in approximately parallel relation to said decorative memberand bent to conform to variations in the contour of said regional rearside, said element extending over the top of the ear helix andconnecting with said decorative member substantially midway of the topportion thereof, the

, portion of said element extending over the helix adjacent saidconnection forming a seat for the ear clip spaced from the upperjointure of the ear and head, the major portion of said elementincluding the free end thereof grippingly engagingthe ear between theelement and decorative member at a plurality of points along saidantihelix region so constructed and arranged to solely retain the earclip in said seated position.

MARGARET BARRON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain May 18, 1945

